6 Tips to Avoid the Dreaded Spam Folder | iContact

It's difficult enough to get customers to keep your email and open it, but you'll never get to worry about whether your content is catchy enough if you're being sucked into the spam folder. Spam filters are the email marketer's archnemesis. If you're waging this battle, use these tips to help win or reclaim your rightful place in the email inbox.

Check Your IP Address with Major Email Providers

Take a look at the email blacklists from major email providers. A quick glance through your subscriber list will let you know which clients you should be most concerned about, though you're probably familiar with the big names already. If your IP address shows up on one of these blacklists, submit a request for removal as soon as you can. When your IP address is considered suspicious, your messages are typically blocked sight unseen.

Don't assume that one clean bill means you're good to go. Check these lists regularly. They change often and you don't want to find out that you've landed on one after noticing that your open rates have taken a dive.

Clean Up Your Subject Line and From Field

There are many compelling reasons to have a clean subject line and 'from' field. Addressing these areas will make your readers more likely to open your emails, so you don't want to ignore them even if you think you're getting past spam filters just fine. The 'from' field for your emails shouldn't be your email address. You want to put a name here to give your messages a more personal touch. Your readers will probably glance here first to see what they're looking at, and you can bet spam filters check this area too.

When it comes to your subject line, it's prudent to familiarize yourself with common spam words and phrases. There are hundreds of these that can land you on a spam list. In general, you want to steer clear of anything that sounds like an advertisement or promotional message. Some phrases that might trip you up include:

Free website

Full refund

Order now

Great offer

Check or money order

Additional income

Get paid

Consider Your Content

You need to keep the content of your message free from spammy words and phrases, too. Provide valuable information without hyping your latest deal or pushing a hard sell. Make a plain text version of your emails available so subscribers can opt-in to the type of message they'd like to receive. This helps with spam filters as well because they'll check for a plain text version of the message.

Keep your email coding clean and professional. If you're not familiar with proper coding for an email message, hire someone who is. Messy code isn't something your readers will see, but it puts up a red flag for spam filters and marks you as unprofessional. Packing your email with images isn't a good tactic either. A few tasteful images are fine, but an email that's overloaded with pictures looks like spam not only to email filters, but to any readers who may chance to open them as well.

Avoid Attachments

Attachments spell death for your email campaign for many reasons. Readers are unlikely to open a message with attachments for fear of downloading a virus, so even if you get past the spam filter, this type of message won't go far. If your readers are expecting an attachment from you, though, there is a smart way to go about sending it that won't trigger spam filters.

Don't attach your file directly to the email. An .exe, .zip, .swf, or other such attachment will immediately alert spam filters that something suspicious is going on. Instead, send your recipient a link to your file hosted on a cloud like DropBox. This is safer and easier for all involved. You'll also have the added benefit of being able to update the document without having to send out a new attachment to your subscribers.

Don't Give Readers a Reason to Complain

Remember, there are several ways to end up on a spam list. Spam filters aren't the only threat. Your customers can send you to the spam filter, too. If enough readers mark your messages as spam, you'll end up on an alert list and have to contend with both the dissatisfied customers and the spam filters that are now alerted to your presence.

To keep your customers from sending you to the spam folder, you need to communicate with them in a professional manner. Never send emails to anyone who hasn't opted in to receive them. If you're sending unsolicited messages, you really are spamming your recipients. Don't even think about purchasing an email list, as this is a huge no-no. Instead, you need to focus on your landing page and squeeze pages to come up with creative ways to get more people to opt-in to your messages.

Learn everything you can about how to craft an effective piece of email marketing. From your short and sweet subject line to the concise and powerful message in the body of the email, every word and image that you send has to count. You have a limited amount of time and space to impress readers. If you build a relationship with your customers, you won't have to worry about being seen as spam.

Ask for Assistance When You Need It

Don't be afraid to admit that you need a little help tweaking your email marketing campaign. There are professional services that can help you with everything from certifying your IP address to scanning your email content for spammy words and phrases. If you're struggling to get out of the spam folder, research your options and consider hiring a little help to return your email stats to where they should be.

Dealing with spam filters is an ongoing battle that requires constant vigilance. When you use solid marketing practices, though, you can win out against the spam filter and keep your customers from sending you to that dreaded folder.